Endoscopic products such as those manufactured by Olympus Corporation for use in operating rooms, outpatient surgery centers and gastrointestinal stations (as well as other non-medical uses) are fitted with a small semi-disposable channel cap (such as the Olympus MD-50 rubber cap, catalog No. 52888, or MB-348. catalog no. 52422) which fits over a channel valve. These products are available from Olympus Corporation, Medical Instrument Division, 4 Nevada Drive, Lake Success, N.Y. 11042. This channel cap has a slit through which forceps, suction tubes and other such medical instruments are passed and serves to provide a seal around such instruments. When suction is used, the seals should provide a good seal for the suction to be most effective.
In these instances, the standard channel caps are also provided with a plug portion attached to the main body of the channel cap by a strap. Many flexible instruments are routinely inserted and withdrawn through this channel cap. This plug portion, which also includes a slit passage therethrough, may be mated with the main body portion to provide a double seal through which the instruments may pass. Typically, such instruments may include various medical treatment instruments such as forceps and the like for taking biopsy samples, instruments for performing surgery, various tubes, and other such medical devices which pass through a diameter of approximately 1.5 to 3.7 mm.
These channel caps are typically used only a few times before the slit opens from wear to the point of providing an unacceptable seal. Consequently users may use a substantial number of these channel caps and in many cases must stock a substantial variety due to the various types and sizes of seals used for types and sizes of endoscopes (e.g. flexible fiber optic bronchoscope, gastroscope, colonoscope, etc.). Substantial problems have been noted in having the right size on hand when needed while maintaining a reasonable inventory of the parts. The present invention ameliorates these problems by providing a dual channel cap for different types, function and sizes of endoscopes as will as described below.